Asian American veterans share emotional stories 50 years after Vietnam War

During his adolescence William Fong s entire world was contained in San Francisco But in over a decade into the Vietnam War he was drafted At age he left his home in the city s Chinatown neighborhood for basic training and then discovered himself in Asia for the first time Anticipating he would be surrounded by American soldiers who were mostly white Fong grew anxious about being perceived as an enemy combatant That anxiety only strengthened his conviction and determination to be the best soldier accomplishable he explained I requested to be accepted like anybody else not necessarily Chinese or Asian or you know from any particular part of the country but just to be myself Fong disclosed He didn t want to be seen as any of the racist stereotypes about Chinese men he grew up hearing Fong went on to serve as an armor intelligence specialist during his yearlong tour in Vietnam ultimately forming chosen of the majority of central friendships of his life Five decades after the Vietnam war ended more Asian American and Pacific Islander veterans are reflecting on the life-changing ordeal that was at times made more complicated by their race Arrangement members from the Army to the Marine Corps are now sharing stories about the racism they faced growing up and again while serving their country They were often reminded that they resembled the enemy and faced hostility and increased violence Still countless say they ultimately unveiled camaraderie with their brothers-in-arms and are proud of their facility Now a half-century later countless of these veterans want their voices to be heard Preserving veterans oral histories The conflict known in Vietnam as the American War began in when northern Vietnamese communist forces rose in power It ended on April when tanks from the north rolled into the South Vietnam capital of Saigon The U S was forced to withdraw Roughly Americans South Vietnamese allies and an estimated million communist fighters and civilians perished Out of million Americans who fought overseas an estimated were Asian American according to the Library of Congress Since the Library of Congress Veterans History Project has gathered roughly submissions of veterans personal histories Archivists say only about identified as Asian American or Pacific Islander but that s likely an undercount since the vast majority of participants didn t disclose their race A lot of the credit for those contributions goes to the volunteer-run Asian American Neighborhood Media Project which has submitted over in just the past two years The project is a labor of love started by helpers Don Bannai and George Wada The Los Angeles area residents who are both in their s and Japanese American decided to take filmmaking classes for seniors a scant years ago Neither is a veteran But both are passionate about preserving veterans voices They channeled their newfound documentary skills and personal funds into interviewing and filming veterans testimonials The hardest thing is to find people to talk to Bannai reported We ve got a list of guys and a hundred of those have revealed No I m not ready to talk about that I m not interested in talking about my story So that ll tell you there are other stories out there that are still formidable to tell Looking like the enemy Bannai and Wada have dug up fascinating stories of Japanese American veterans who served in Vietnam Various revealed their parents were incarcerated in camps during World War II Others had family members who served in the nd Infantry Regiment an all-Japanese American unit that is arguably the preponderance decorated group in U S military history The way of life that their sons grew up in of lesson it was a valid option going to serve your country because your dad did or your uncle did Bannai reported Selected Japanese American veterans recounted hostile encounters with fellow officers in Vietnam One recounted a superior pointing to him at boot camp telling everyone This is what your enemy is going to look like Bannai reported In one video a former marine describes how a sergeant hit him on his first night in Vietnam because he assumed he was Vietnamese The sergeant was then shocked to hear him respond in English Because of his looks the man was also prohibited from going on night patrols Several veterans who have shared their stories through the project have come away feeling emotional but appreciative of the opportunity to reflect I m not a counselor Bannai disclosed But for chosen of these guys it s the first time they ve ever stated these stories And that feeling of relief emotional relief is almost euphoric for certain of them Finding commonality in Vietnam Fang Wong of East Brunswick New Jersey came to New York City from China in at age Three years later he obtained citizenship In he was drafted He went to South Carolina for basic training then deployed to Germany Tired of constant snow and homesickness he volunteered to relocate to Vietnam He was stationed right outside Saigon and working military intelligence The only Asian in his unit he also determined connection elsewhere Wong soon discovered a special kinship with Chinese civilian contractors who worked on the base and introduced him to Cholon a Chinese enclave in Saigon still considered one of the largest Chinatowns worldwide He had meals of Cantonese food that were almost as good as home and hung out with other Chinese youths Once they find out that I could speak Cantonese we communicate and every once in a while when we have a chance I d go out with them Wong disclosed I go down to Cholon and find out that they have a bunch of young guys they play basketball I happen to like basketball Wong went on to serve in the Army for years In he also was the first Asian American and person of color elected national commander of The American Legion For Fong a retired grandfather of three living in the Bay Area suburb of Redwood City talking about the war isn t easy He saw fellow soldiers die and then returned to the U S where the community s perception of the war was contentious It s hard for civilians to understand he disclosed So he prioritized keeping in touch with fellow veterans As an current member of the nonprofit Veterans of Foreign Wars Chinatown Post he is intent on being a store available to other veterans He hopes these discussions can help other Asian Americans who have served process their experiences Hopefully he disclosed this might give them an understanding that they re not alone Source